Terrorism and cricket cannot go hand in hand: Sushma Swaraj

New Delhi, December 2: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday indicated that any bilateral cricket series between India and Pakistan will not be played unless and until neighbour doesn’t stop cross-border terrorism and unprovoked firing. 

Notably, while responding to a query on India-Pakistan cricket series on a neutral venue in a Parliament's consultative committee on external affairs, Union Minister Sushma Swaraj hinted that it seemed unlikely until Pakistan stopped cross-border terrorism and firing. The Minister further clarified that that terrorism and cricket can't go hand in hand.

During the meeting which was also attended by Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar and Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar, the External Affairs Minister said that she had met Pakistan's envoy to India and proposed to him that both countries release the prisoners who are above 70 years of age or women or of unsound mind as part of humanitarian aspect of the relationship.

Importantly, the agenda of the meeting was ‘Relationship with the Neighbourhood.’ However, the Parliament's consultative committee also sought to know from the ministry various aspects of the recent Maldives-China Free Trade Agreement and increasing proximity between the two nations and its impact on India.

In its reply, Minister Sushma Swaraj noted that the relationship between India and Maldives remained close and cordial. It also mentioned about the increasing defence cooperation between the two nations.

Shameless Pakistani troops in the year 2017 made cross-border violations for over 800 times while hundreds of terrorists belonged to a neighbour country were also killed.